POINTS IN FAVOR OF A MACHINE

Pros and Cons: Free Weights Vs. The Machine at Best Weight Bench

Safety

With a machine, you're not going to risk dropping a dumbbell on your foot, or a barbell on your chest; however, be sure not to let children or pets near the machine while the weight stack is being lifted, or serious injury-even death--could result if/when you slam the stack back down!

Freedom

You can pretty safely work out solo; little need-if any--for a "spotter" as is recommended for free-weight sessions. (All right, I admit it: I have frequently lifted free weights all by myself-who hasn't? But there's always, at least theoretically, a risk level there that's simply not entailed with a machine.)

Convenience

Unlike barbells and dumbbells, machines don't necessitate continually adding and removing those heavy, easily droppable plates; instead, just quickly reposition a pin in the machine's weight-plate stack. Let's face it: I can be notoriously lazy at times, and the comparative hassle of the free-weight approach sometimes puts me off. By contrast, a machine workout is quicker and simpler, if not exactly "easy."

Simplicity

Unlike learning proper technique with free-weights, a machine is almost a no-brainer: it's pretty immediately obvious what the primary exercises are that you can perform. By contrast, a set of free weights can be relatively mysterious to the neophyte. Some study/training is required to derive the utmost from free weights.

Aesthetics

Some of us frankly find the commanding appearance of the machine more alluring than free weights, although it must be granted that deluxe benches and racks are available nowadays that can make old fashioned "iron" appear pretty impressive--even multifaceted--in its own right. But, to me, there's just something inexplicably inviting about a well-designed home gym! If such purely emotional appeal entices one to work out longer and more regularly, then that's clearly a point in favor of the machine.

THE PARABODY 250 HOME GYM: 

Not unlike MANY high-quality (and high-priced) multi-gym machines.

Several years ago I checked out this fine "multi-gym" unit at a local dealer, and, as it's not altogether unlike MANY "home-gym" units out there, you can generally think of this unit as fairly typical of many currently available "high-end" models from various manufacturers.

As you can infer from the photo, the Parabody 250 Home Gym exudes an appealing, "club-caliber" image. Its steel frame is coated with an almost indestructible, powder-coated (baked-on) white finish. The other predominant color is black, as with the painted, solid-iron weights in the 160-pound stack (heavier and more durable than my old, low-cost Weider gym's 105-pound, plastic-coated-cement stack); smooth, vinyl upholstery; plastic-coated cables; fiberglass pulleys; and four-inch foam roller pads on the leg-lift. The latter are noticeably more comfortable than their three-inch counterparts on my Weider gym. A lifetime warranty covers everything except the upholstery and cables, which carry a three-year warranty.

Another advantage over my cheaper Weider gym is the Parabody 250's vertically adjustable bench press seat. It's nice to see the designers not adopting "a one size fits all" philosophy.

The press arms of the Parabody 250 have two sets of handle grips: you can grip one set "vertically," the other "horizontally." In this way different muscle groups can be worked. By contrast, my cheap gym only has horizontally configured grips.

Regarding Parabody's vaunted "biomechanically correct," "no dead spots" motions: my early, somewhat tentative impression is that some movements do indeed feel more comfortable than corresponding ones with my low-cost Weider gym. My unscientific impression is that the Parabody 250's upwardly curving arm press motion, in particular, is more enjoyable, easier, and quite possibly gentler on my joints than is my cheap Weider model. Now, to be fair, the "straight-forward" arm-press motion of my Weider gym does seem very comparable to the conventional press motion used with a barbell while lying flat on a bench. (Disclaimer: everything said in this context constitutes merely my own early, subjective reaction after comparing the three respective movements; to concede that I'm "no authority" on biomechanics is a monumental understatement!)

Now, I do continue to admire the virtues of the cheap Weider machine that I threw together three years ago. It's been used quite a lot (though, admittedly, not continuously!). It still looks great, is totally functional, has beaucoups exercise stations (even more than the Parabody 250), and represents real value for the bargain price of--$239. BUT, if I had it to do over again, I would scraped up the serious cash for a more expensive, still-better gym, quite possibly the Parabody 250, though their higher models are very tempting, featuring more stations and exercises. (I do consider the 250's lack of butterfly arms and a leg press to be its most conspicuous shortcomings.) I especially enjoyed Parabody's optional leg press attachment, whose motion I preferred to that of my Weider counterpart; with the latter, you press with the soles of your feet and actually move the "foot plate" forward. With the Parabody version, as you press, the foot plates do not move, you do: as you extend your legs, you rise upward at an angle. I found this to be great fun, and I'm told that a portion of your body weight is also used in the motion, unlike the "old-fashioned" leg-press motion of my cheap gym.

Now, if I could only have a home gym machine or a bench with free weights, I frankly would go for the machine. I realize that, to the free-weight purist, this flies in the face of biomechanical logic. I would be missing out on countless body motions that only barbells and dumbbells can provide. But, aside from the fact that I'm incurably lazy and like my workouts to be as easy as possible, I must return to the fact that I'm just a hopeless sucker for the grand aesthetic of these "great big" machines.

Ultimately, the really neat thing is that I don't have to make an either/or choice. I--and you--can enjoy both. I have no intention of discarding my cheap free weights and bench. I enjoy occasional variety in workouts as in all things, and it's nice having options whenever that "same old, same old" malaise starts setting in.

Before deciding on ANY exercise equipment, read the hype (much of which you should take with a grain of salt) and tentatively compare the models. Then visit the nearest dealer(s) in your city or region. Nothing less than one or more thorough, hands-on trial sessions should determine your final decision. Don't just spring for the first bargain you stumble onto while roaming at Wal-Mart, as a kooky friend of mine once did.

See more at: Olympic Weight Bench